Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

I am sharing this post in partnership with Almond Breeze. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to continue to create quality content for you!

Let’s add a bright burst of sunshine to our lives with Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice! Brown rice cooked in creamy coconut milk along with juicy chicken, fresh veggies, and healing “golden” spices such as turmeric and ginger, this healthy one-pan dish has earned the highest level of praise awarded in our household: Ben voluntarily brought it to work for lunch.

Ben spent the first three years of our marriage in law school, and for all of them, I insisted he pack a lunch. Bringing lunch from home fit our budget, and I knew it was more healthy than his on-campus options.

Every Sunday afternoon, I cooked a farm family–size batch of chicken and rice or pasta for him to take each day. If we ever have kids, I’m prepared in the brown bagging department.

These days, Ben rarely brings lunch to work. It’s partly access to better quality cafeteria fare but mostly because breaking to buy lunch when you work in an office is a small joy. If you’ve worked a desk job, I’m betting you can relate.

Lunch and free donuts: highlights of a long office day.

This Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice, however? BEN STOLE IT.

Well, as much as you can steal from your refrigerator.

I made this for dinner, we both loved it, and I was very much looking forward to having the leftovers to myself for lunch the next day.

I opened my refrigerator for my own moment of small joy and discovered Ben hadn’t only taken a single serving to the office—he’d usurped the entire container!

I realize this is a compliment (I don’t think he’s willingly brought his own lunch since 2016) but seriously? The whole thing?

Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice — Too Delicious to Resist

I can’t say I blame Ben. This Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice is wonderful, vibrant, filling, and incredibly good for you all at the same time.

This recipe is a case study for the weeknight meal magic that occurs when fresh ingredients—garlic, ginger, and whatever veggies are lurking in your drawer—meet kitchen staples, which for me include dry whole grains like brown rice and a well-stocked spice cabinet (this makes almost any recipe attainable!).

My secret to making this Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice taste ultra rich and creamy without adding a spec of excess fat (or even dairy!) is Almond Breeze almondmilk Almond Coconut Unsweetened Original. It’s a blend of both almondmilk and coconutmilk and is DELISH.

I’m in my third year of working with Almond Breeze, a company whose products I love and use regularly. Almondmilk is my go-to for my smoothies and cereal (I love its creamy texture and delicately nutty flavor, and the low calorie count is nice when you are looking to lighten things up), and I use it in my sweet and savory cooking and baking too.

I’m not usually one for recipe “hacks,” but cooking this recipe in the almondmilk coconutmilk blend instead of plain old water or even chicken stock made an incredible difference.

The rice was unbelievably creamy, and the subtle coconut flavor was a beautiful pairing with the ginger, cumin, turmeric, and coriander.

Although this recipe contains a good number of spices, they aren’t of the fiery-hot variety that will leave you panting and reaching for a napkin to mop your brow.

While I love a spicy dish that bites me back every now and then, this Instant Pot chicken and rice is different.

The spices you’ll find here are warm, deep, and nourishing. They contain anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties, and they give the dish its beautiful sunny yellow color too. (Looking for another one-dish winner with a different flavor profile? Check out Instant Pot Mexican Casserole!)

Sunshine, an immunity boost, AND an easy, all-in-one recipe that’s so tasty, family members (literally) race each other to the refrigerator for leftovers: Golden Chicken and Rice is everything I need to eat in January and everything I want to eat year-round!

Tools to Make Instant Pot Golden Chicken and Rice:

Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice

Yield: 4–6 servings, about 8 cups

Prep Time:

15mins

Cook Time:

45mins

Total Time:

1hr

**IMPORTANT NOTE: While I've never had an issue with a burn warning, a few readers have reported seeing one. To avoid this, be sure to rinse your rice before adding it to the Instant Pot. Also, ensure that no food is stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot prior to sealing.**Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice: An easy, healthy dinner with moist chicken, fresh veggies, creamy brown rice, and "golden" spices such as turmeric and ginger. Flavorful, filling, and great leftover too! The pressure cooker makes this simple chicken and brown rice recipe fast and completely hands free!

Instructions

Set a 6-quart or larger Instant Pot to SAUTE mode. Add the coconut oil. Once hot and shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add the rinsed brown rice, carrot, red pepper, garlic, ginger, cumin, salt, turmeric, and coriander. Stir to coat the rice in the oil and spices and cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in a splash of the the almondmilk coconutmilk. Scrape a spoon along the bottom to make sure there are no stuck-on bits of food. Stir in the remaining almondmilk coconut milk. Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer on top.

Cover and seal the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure (manual) for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, and then vent to release remaining pressure.

Uncover and remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board. Dice or shred with two forks and return to the pot. Add the peas and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve hot, topped with cilantro and toasted coconut.

Recipe Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat gently in the microwave. (TIP: Hide the leftovers from your husband if you want to enjoy this a second time).

*Do not use instant rice, as it will not hold up in the pressure cooker. I also cannot recommend white, basmati, or any other type of rice or quinoa, as I have not tested the recipe this way. Cooking times and liquid ratios can vary between types of grains. For best results, long grain brown rice is the way to go (and it is delicious!).

To make on the stovetop: **Please note that I have not tested this method yet; this is my best guess, but it may not be accurate.** In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt the coconut oil over medium high. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and sauté until cooked through. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add an additional 2 teaspoons coconut oil to the pot. Once hot and shimmering, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Continue with step 2 as written, but do not add the chicken. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and let cook until the rice is done, about 40 minutes. Stir in the reserved chicken and peas, and then serve with cilantro and toasted coconut.

235 comments on “Golden Instant Pot Chicken and Rice”

Hi Julie, I’m sorry but I can’t recommend it because I haven’t tested it, and other rice recipes I have done in the slow cooker in the past have come out mushy, so I’m hesitant to recommend. I would suggest the stove top method if you don’t have an Instant Pot!

Hi Lisa! I’m afraid I can’t recommend this swap. Instant brown rice I’m afraid won’t hold up in a pressure cooker. Also the cooking times are very different. Instant brown rice cooks in 10 minutes on the stove vs. long grain brown rice which cooks in 50. I know that might not be the answer you are hoping for, but I do want this to turn out for you and the type of rice is very important. If you do try the dish, I hope you love it!

Hi Danielle, I haven’t tried either one, but I think that could work! If you do swap the grain, I would recommend following the stovetop directions since that would be a safer bet than the Instant Pot and adjusting the liquid ratio and cook time accordingly.

I’m having trouble locating the Almond Coconut blend (one more place to try!–Almond Breeze’s locater function is great, down to providing a list of their products the store stocks). How will the taste be affected using the plain Almond variety instead? Also, if there are not dietary preferences/restrictions, will this work with regular milk?

This is on my list for Friday night dinner–I’ll report back afterward, as anything lunch-worthy is appealing to this eat-at-my-desk girl!

Hi Wanda, you can use regular almond milk, but the rice will have less of a coconut flavor. Make sure to use unsweetened if you go that route! I also think light coconut milk would be delicious, or even a mix of two-thirds light coconut milk and a bit of water. I wouldn’t recommend using dairy milk as it would throw the flavor and consistency off. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Caitlin, I think if you have an 8-quart or larger Instant Pot, you could get away with doing 1.5 times the recipe, but since I haven’t tried it this way, it would still be a bit of an experiment. If you do decide to play around, I’d love to hear how it turns out!

I don’t have an Instant Pot but do have an electric pressure cooker. Could you advise on how I would make this recipe using the pressure cooker instead? Even better – general tips on converting Instant Pot recipes for a pressure cooker.

Hi Linda, I can’t personally advise on all electric pressure cookers as the Instant Pot is the one I have, but I bet there are some helpful internet resources if you do a search. If your model can’t sauté in the pot itself, I’d do that step on the stove and then transfer for the pressure cooking part. This recipe cooks at high pressure for 20 minutes (noted in the instructions), so if your model has a high pressure setting, that part should be the same in theory!

I’m making it right now and my IP showed the ‘burn’ warning before it was up to pressure. Someone online suggested more liquid, so I just added more almond-coconut milk (about 3/4 c), and restarted. It appears to be working. Fingers crossed!

Thanks, Erin. Adding liquid seemed to satisfy the IP’s “brain” — I was able to restart, and there was no more burn warning. The dish turned out delicious. Note: Clean-up afterward revealed a bit of scorching on the bottom of the pot, but it was easy to get off.

My Instant Pot is only a couple years old, but it does not have the “burn notice” feature. No mention of this in troubleshooting section either. We really struggled with this recipe. I’ve not had much experience with making rice in the IP. Symptom: the IP seemed to get up to temperature, but never popped the bolt, so never went under pressure, and the timer started counting down (several times!). We determined that it is very important to get the pot deglazed, this was causing the IP to act like it was in a protect mode. At first I thought it needed more liquid to create the steam to close the system, but nothing I did would make it go under pressure. Finally, removed everything and scraped and washed the pot, put the chicken on the bottom (It had been slowly cooking, since the IP never really turned itself off) and the rice mixture on top.

Set it to poultry for 10 minutes. Let it natural release. The flavor was amazing! We’ll get it right the next time. I plan to deglaze with some chicken broth. Maybe cut the rice down to 1 cup. Not giving up, just need to learn the finesse with rice dishes. Thank you very much for the recipe

Hi Lauren! If you’d like to do this, I’d suggest sauting the chicken and veggies on the stove with the spices (omit the milk), then serving them over cauliflower rice like a stir fry, as the cauli won’t hold up in the pressure cooker this way. I hope that helps and that you enjoy the recipe!

Hi Adrienne, I can’t say for certain since I haven’t tried myself, but because most of the veggies in this recipe are sautéed prior to the pressure cooking step, I don’t think starting with frozen vegetables would affect the cooking time much. They can release quite a bit of liquid as they are cooked, however, which could affect the dish. (The frozen peas added at the end are already thawed, so that part wouldn’t be any different.) I’ve only tested the recipe as it’s currently written, so I’m sorry I don’t have any specific recommendations to make!

Hi Peter, I mention this in the recipe notes, but I cannot recommend white or any other type of rice, as I have not tested the recipe this way. Cooking times and liquid ratios vary between types of grains, so for best results, I recommend sticking with long grain brown rice if you’re making this in the Instant Pot. If you do it on the stovetop (see the recipe notes for my best guess on how to do it!), you may have better luck using regular jasmine rice as you’ll be able to control the cooking time. The liquid ratio will have to be adjusted, though, so it would be an experiment.

Hi Lola, yes, there is a print button at the top of the page, just below the blog post title, as well as a print button on the recipe itself, just below the small thumbnail picture of the dish. I hope that helps!

I made a couple of adjustments to this wonderful recipe. First, I don’t like chicken breasts so I used boneless skinless thighs. Second, rather than cutting up the chicken after cooking, I cut it into bite sized pieces before placing it on top. That way, when cooking is done you stir in the chicken along with the peas!

Hi AJ, I haven’t tried this, and the ratios may be different in the curry powder, but if you don’t have the other ingredients, it’d be worth a shot to try it! If you do decide to experiment I’d love to know what you think.

Hello Erin I tried to be clever and used Safron rice that I had in the cabinet. It kept burning up on the bottom of the pan and the instant pot would automatically shut down with a burn message on the screen. I finished off in Saute mode and it was delicious. Will try again with long grain rice tomorrow night.

I was skeptical of this dish because I didn’t think that was enough liquid, and I also worried the chicken would get too dry. I decided to trust the process, and i’m Glad I did. It was delicious! Next time, I would add a little more ginger and coriander because I like a little more spice, but it was very good, and there are plenty of leftovers. I toasted the coconut chips in a frying pan, and it was worth the extra step to do so. I will check out your other recipes. Thank you.

Hi Nikki, the Instant Pot still needs some liquid to cook, so even if you don’t use rice and just cook the chicken and vegetables, you’ll probably still need about 1/2 cup of liquid in the pot. Since I developed the recipe with rice, you’d be experimenting—the sauce will be quite thin and watery without the rice.

I substituted 1 can of coconut milk for the almond milk. It came out tasty and good, but with just a little too much liquid. The next time I will increase the rice to 1 3/4 cups. I also sauteed the ginger and garlic briefly with the onions.

First off thanks for the great recipe! I think that the can of coconut milk has a smaller amount of water than the same amount of almond milk due to the coconut’s high fat conent. It came out pretty great, and coconut fat is all good, right?

My whole family enjoyed this dish. Thank you for sharing it! I used unsweetened almond milk (couldn’t find the blend), browned the chicken a bit on each side with the onions, removed the chicken and added 1/4 cup water to deglaze – the brown bits add flavor but will cause a burn notice if you don’t deglaze, and I used frozen green beans (didn’t realize that I was out of peas. Oops!)

This recipe is a winner! I made it exactly as written for dinner last night. The veggies come out nicely cooked and not soggy the chicken is so tender I shredded it and put it back in with the rice. I will adjust the spice upward next time and add a peppery spice like cayenne or hot pepper sauce. This was easy to make and delicious!

I made this tonight and yum! My rice came out a little under but I have a new pressure cooker and I had never done brown rice in it before. I figured out mine needs a little extra time for brown rice with other ingredients in mine, so next time I will adjust that. The flavors are so good I will definitely make it again with the time adjusted for my pressure cooker. It looks beautiful and the flavors are great!

hi, I noticed you do not brown the chicken first. And somehow you seem to get a nice color to the chicken, rather than the boiled chicken look that I get when I just pressure cook the chicken without broiling or browning it. Did you throw the dish into the cast iron pan (shown in the photograph) and broil it for a bit to get that golden look?

I have used my IP only 2 times. I am concerned there is not enough liquid in this recipe as some reviewers suggested and had a burn notice show up. Any suggestions will be helpful.. Like how much to increase liquid. I didn’t know you can open the IP while in use if burn notice appears. I am going to try tonight

Hi Toni! As long as you release the pressure first, you can open the pot. I have made this dish several times and never received a burn warning, but if you are concerned, I’d suggest adding about 1/2 cup extra and see how that goes. If you have some extra liquid, you can always drain it off at the end. Another thing you could do is saute the rice, spices, and vegetables in a pan on the stove instead of in the Instant Pot insert, then transfer them to the Instant Pot. The burn notice is sometimes caused when sauted ingredients leave a little residue the pot, so if you don’t saute them in the Instant Pot, that should prevent a burn warning. I hope that helps and that you enjoy it!

Hi Sallie, the cook time is necessary for the rice, but I think your suspicion is correct that tenders will cook more quickly, so if that doesn’t bother you, you could use them instead of chicken breast. I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Those was really good. I admit I added 1)4 cup water and my rice was kind of mushy. I left out the peas and added a Serrano pepper. The chicken was very tender and it had great flavor. Garnished with cilantro (a must!) and green onions. Yum!! I made mine in a 3qt and used the amounts, except less chicken.

Hi Barb! I think you need to adjust both; I’ve only done the Instant Pot with brown rice, so I’d try to reference a few other recipes for the amount of liquid and cooking times. If you decide to experiment with brown rice, I’d love to hear how it goes!

This was my first instant pot recipe! This was tasty, but I found that pressure cooking for 20 minutes was too long (I followed the recipe exactly). My rice and carrots came out a little too much on the mushy side. Next time I might try 15 minutes.

Hi Michelle! If your veggies got mushy, I’d suggest cutting them a little larger next time. If the rice was mushy, a shorter cooktime should help (did you use brown rice? That makes a difference too). I hope you love it even more the next go around!

Hi, I’m new to using the IP, but if I’m reading right you put the raw chicken on top of the rice? I’m a little hesitant to add raw chicken so I’m just making sure you didn’t cook it at all before putting it in. Thank you so much!

Patty, I am sorry for the burn warning! I’ve never had this issue and have made it several times with the amount of liquid listed. Do you have a newer model? I’ve heard those can trigger a burn warning more easily. And did you rinse the rice? I’m glad it came out in the end!!

I’m VERY frustrated with this recipe. Everything about it sounded wonderful and it smells wonderful. Hands down there is not enough liquid in this recipe and my Instant Pot went to “BURN” mode three times so far. It hasn’t ever gotten to the cook part. I just added 2 cups of water and a bit more almond milk, restarted and 5 minutes later “BURN” mode. Seriously what have other people done to get the Instant Pot to actually make this recipe?

Todd, I am really sorry that this isn’t working for you! Did you rinse your rice first and use an almond milk/coconut milk blend mentioned in the recipe or simply almond milk? If you use the full-fat, canned coconut milk, I could see that causing a burn warning, as that does happen sometime with creamy sauces. I wish I could be there in the kitchen to troubleshoot with you!

Todd, I’m so sorry to hear that it still said “burn” then! The only last thing I can think of is that you might have had some stuck on food on the bottom of the pot after sauting the onions. I honestly have made this myself several times and haven’t had this issue come up and other readers have had success too. I wish I had more suggestions for you!

This was just amazing. My husband I both loved it. I followed your instructions regarding stirring the rice thoroughly so as not get a burn notice and I had no issues. This was is going in the “regular meals” binder. I have made many of your recipes and they are easy, healthy and delicious. So thankful for your blog. I am in my late 50s but still struggle with the whats for dinner question and you have helped a lot!!

This was my very first instant pot recipe today, right after UPS showed up. I doctored it to our tastes and added a little more turmeric, some sriracha, coconut milk w/ water, etc. It turned out great! Love the addition of toasted coconut. I made a huge batch and I’m going to add it to some yogurt I’ll be making with the pot. You should definitely do more IP recipes :)

Laura, as long as it is unsweetened, I think that would be fine! The vanilla flavor is usually pretty subtle. If you want to play it safe, you can also use regular unsweetened (non vanilla) almond milk.

I used this recipe for my first ever insta pot experience and it was DELICIOUS! I may have made a mistake because the end product was a little soupy. It ended up working out though, more flavor for the chicken to absorb! Thank you for posting!

This recipe is amazingly fast and SO GOOD. I made the following changes – 1/2 can of coconut milk instead of the Almondbreeze stuff, subbed coriander for garam masala, and added a bit of cayenne to taste. It came out beautifully!

This was interesting and flavorful, but I too had the burn notice a couple of times, and felt the chicken breast I used came out a bit dry. To solve the burn, I added more liquid (coconut) and, Took out the chicken as they looked like they were getting overcooked with still 12 min remaining. Switched it to cook rice, and added the chicken and peas after the time was cooked.

Four stars because I love the recipe flavor. But I may need to tweak how to cook this the next time.

Not sure what I did wrong but it kept saying burned and the bottom of the rice is burned so not sure if it’s me or there isn’t enough milk but hoping to try it again and see if I can get it to turn out!

Hi Ariel, while I’ve never had an issue with a burn warning, a few readers have reported seeing one. To avoid this, be sure to rinse your rice before adding it to the Instant Pot. Also, ensure that no food is stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot prior to sealing. I hope that helps next time!

Hi Iaona, if you’d like to do this, I’d suggest sauteing the chicken and veggies on the stove with the spices (omit the milk), then serving them over cauliflower rice like a stir fry, as the cauliflower won’t hold up in the pressure cooker this way. I hope that helps and that you enjoy the recipe!

Made this per recipe except cubed chicken before cooking. Tasted pretty good but I think next time I will add more seasonings. I did not have any “burn” issues with my 6qt IP Thanks! Will definitely make again!

John, I am so sorry this happened. I’ve made this recipe numerous times as have others without issue. Is your IP new by chance? I’ve heard the newer models can burn more easily. For next time, you can try adding more liquid. Be sure that nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot before you seal it too. Regardless, I know it’s disappointing for a recipe not to work out. I’m sorry that happened here!

Made this tonight and was disappointed. Followed the recipe to a T and my rice turned out mushy and gross. I used brown rice, not instant. Flavor was also lacking. Really bummed because the images of your dish look amazing compared to my bowl of mush :(

Hi Ashley, I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t come out for you. It’s hard to know what may have gone wrong without being there in the kitchen with you, but I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not have it come out, so I truly wish you would have loved this.

I’m not sure if there’s enough liquid in this recipe for the IP version. I’ve tried making this twice and the bottom is always burnt (along with the “burn” indicator on the IP display) and so the chicken isn’t fully cooked.

Hello! While I’ve never had an issue with a burn warning, a few readers have reported seeing one. To avoid this, I recommend rinsing your rice before adding it to the Instant Pot. Also, ensure that no food is stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot prior to sealing. I hope that helps!

Hi Olivia! I haven’t tried the recipe this way, so I can’t say for certain, but if you use leftover chicken, you will probably want to wait to stir it in til the end and warm through. The rice may be less flavorful since it won’t get the juices from the cooking chicken. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to hear how it goes.

Hi T! I personally haven’t experience this issue, but here are a few things to try: 1) be sure to rinse your rice before adding it to the Instant Pot; 2) ensure that no food is stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot prior to sealing; 3) add a little more water. I hope that helps!

I made this tonight. I only had short grain brown rice (and I know that it takes a long time to cook, so I thought I give it a try.) The rice was perfect in the dish! I don’t love the flavor of turmeric but once I added the cilantro and some lime juice, it was great. Additionally, I only had hemp coconut milk and it was perfect. Thanks for the great recipe!!!

Very tasty and so simple and healthy too. Just got an Instant Pot and still experimenting with recipes for it, this one is definitely a keeper. I use a mix of coconut milk and a little chicken stock and it worked out fine. I’m not a huge fan of wholegrain brown rice but it was perfect in this dish, I used wholegrain basmati and wild.

I was quite frustrated with this recipe as it kept burning in my instant pot. After reading the issues of other people experiencing the same problem I made sure to rinse my rice and even added a lot of extra milk and water. What was supposed to be a quick, healthy dinner turned into me having to make a separate meal for my kids it took so long and a mess for me to clean in my instant pot. Really had high hopes but was disappointed.

Hi Summer, I’m sorry to hear you had a frustrating time with the recipe! I’m glad you were able to find the tips in the comments, but I know it’s frustrating to try a new recipe and not have it come out, so I truly wish you would have enjoy this.

We made this last night, and it was delicious. It was our first meal using coconut oil. One little shortcut: we cut the vegetables into large pieces then we chopped them in the food processor. We also added an additional 1/4 cup of almond-coconut milk in the rice mixture as well as the juice of 1/2 an orange on top of the chicken just before we closed the Instant Pot. Heated up the leftovers this morning with a little chicken broth, and packed it in a Thermos for my 13-year-old daughter’s lunch. Oh, and I saved some leftovers for my own lunch. This meal will become a regular occurrence at our house. Thank you!

Hi Michelle, I’m sorry to hear it wouldn’t come to pressure. I have lots of tips in the recipe and comments about this issue, like adding additional water and thoroughly scraping the bottom of the pot. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not have it come out, so I truly wish you would have enjoyed this.

I make this meal at least once a month. My boyfriend usually requests it twice a month. :D And since it was such a hit in my home I made it for my cousin and her family while she was recovering from a double mastectomy: they all loved it too! This is a real winner, Erin!

Absolutely delicious and wonderfully colorful! Love the spice mix/ ginger combination. I doubled the “milk”, used thigh meat, just one bell pepper (organic – expensive!), small bag of peeled baby carrots, avocado oil instead of coconut. Was short on meat (1.3 lbs), so added a can of great northern beans (rinsed & drained) at the end, with the peas. With the milk doubled, it was perfect- not at all watery or soupy. I’d suggest including the frozen peas even for folks (like me) who aren’t huge fans. They add a nice bit of crunch and I didn’t find their flavor coming through.

Thank you, Erin! (And thanks for the introduction to the Almond – Coconut milk; I did not know of the blend. Nice!)

I did change a couple things- i used a can of coconut milk instead of the almond milk because I had it on hand and I also diced the chicken. I browned it with the onions, garlic and ginger before adding the rice and veggies. Gotta love the sauté function! Adds so much flavour.

I’m curious about how spicy this dish is with all of the spices. I have a picky eater (my husband) and just want him to enjoy it. I’m not telling him what’s in the dish just to make sure he at least tries it. So, how spicy is it, and how much coconut flavor does this have?

Julie, the coconut flavor is VERY subtle. The spices have warmth and flavor but are not “spicy” per se (similar to how cinnamon is a spice but isn’t actually hot). Turmeric is the strongest flavor and a little goes a long way, so if you are nervous about keeping the flavor down, I’d cut back on it. You can always add a tiny pinch more at the end. I’d love to hear what you both think!

Sorry, but I won’t be making this again. The burn warning came on even after rinsing the rice, adding more liquid, and trying over and over again… I’m sure that it tastes yummy, but I can’t get past the burn warning.

Do not use this recipe. There is not nearly enough liquid in it to build pressure or cook the rice. Just the rice needs a 1:1 ratio of liquid to cook, nevermind the liquid needed for the rest of the ingredients. We’ll be eating out tonight.

Hi Sara, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have success with the recipe. Did you take a look at the updated notes at the top of the recipe? Many others have tried it and enjoyed it, but since some IP users were having difficulty, I added some additional suggestions for if the recipe is giving you trouble.

Hi Amanda, I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t coming out for you! Unfortunately I don’t have any further advice to offer beyond what’s listed in the troubleshooting section of the recipe (deglazing, adding more liquid, rinsing the rice). I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not have it work out, so I truly wish you would have enjoyed this.

Sadly I had the same experience several people have. I totally rinsed my rice, 1 added a little extra coconut milk liquid. Still got the burn warning. Dumped everything out, deglazed, added more liquid, tried again. Burn. Added more liquid, took out the chicken (which was turning to rubber), burn again.

Now I have a house that smalls fantastic, but a heaping pile of rice-like glop and rubbery chicken that cannot be saved. Huge bummer and waste of money and time, as it is all inedible. Only posting to warn others. I’m sure it’s a lovely recipe if these disasters don’t occur, but be forewarned people, these disasters can occur even if you take precautions (FYI, I’ve had an instant pot for 2 years, never ever had a problem, not even a minor problem)

Hi Bre, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. It sounds like it may have needed a bit more time if the chicken was still raw. Many others have tried it and loved it, but I know everyone has different tastes. I know it’s disappointing to not have a new recipe come out, so I truly wish you would have loved it.

I’m new to the InstaPot bandwagon…currently borrowing my daughter’s…found this recipe searching for chicken ideas. Instead of frozen peas, I used raw sugar snap peas & added them with all the veggies. Also, I added ALL the milk at once & dumped the veggies on top. Turned out great…thank you!

Kind of curious how none of you got “burn” on your instant pots. Because that is *not* enough liquid. I tried it against my better judgement and sure enough, I got burn. I added the proper liquid ratio to use in literally every im instant pot dish, and it came out properly. Maybe it’s the altitude, maybe these are bought reviews, who knows. Either way I needed to add two cups of milk and a fourth of water.

Hi Charissa, it really seems like different Instant Pots have different levels of sensitivity, because like you mentioned, I and many other readers have never had an issue! Thanks for reporting back with your experiment, and I hope you enjoyed the dish!

I really wish I read more of the comments before trying to make this recipe tonight. Like others, I’ve been having issues with the ‘BURN’ notice despite rinsing the rice and adding 3x the amount of liquid. Having made a lot of rice, I should’ve realized something wasn’t right when the recipe called for so little liquid even for the instant pot. Thankfully my husband was able to salvage what was left and I guess now we’re eating curry.

Hi B, I’m sorry to hear this recipe wasn’t a success for you. I have not had this issue, but I know it’s disappointing to try something new and not have it come out, so I truly wish you would have enjoyed it.

Like many others, it is extremely difficult to get through this dish without the ” BURN ” error. The liquid ratio to brown rice is certainly not correct. I make a LOT of Indian food in the IP and this is the first dish that ever went to the bin. Thanks to the author for taking the time to put the recipe online, but I recommend a pass on this one. If you are going to make chicken and rice, take a different recipe which uses a tradition method of cooking.

Hi Patrick, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. I have made it several times and never had an issue. I also have a few friends here who make it, and both of my sisters make it regularly as the recipe is written. I am so sorry for the trouble. I really am stumped as I have not been able to replicate the issue!

I am a single professional and am always looking for healthy, easy, tasty lunches to make ahead in the instant pot. Just tried this recipe and boy-o is it good! I followed the recipe exactly as written and am very happy with how it turned out. I had enough for my lunches and to freeze a container for when I’m crunched for time in the future. Thank you!!

I wasn’t sure how this would turn out, being that you only use 1 cup of almond milk for 1 and a half cups of brown rice. But I have to say it turned out great, the rice is the perfect consistency and the flavors are nice. I had to add more salt, and I added black pepper and cayenne bc I wanted it spicy. Simple tasty meal, I’ll be making again!

Thank you for your reply! I ended up finding a can of lite coconut milk in my pantry! This dish has a very good and mild flavor. Mine did come out a little “mushy” but I think I know what I might’ve done incorrectly. I did rinse my long grain brown rice VERY well. However, I think I should’ve sauteed the onions and veggies longer to cook some of the liquid out. I think in my haste to get everything going, I did not perform that step thoroughly. I also didn’t have any almond coconut milk. I used 2/3c of lite coconut milk and 1/3c of water = 1c of liquid. I know others have commented that it didn’t seem like enough liquid for the amount of brown rice. But it is! I think if I’d sauteed the onions/veggies longer, this would’ve came out with the consistency like the recipe photo. I used a 6-QT-DUO IP and did not get the burn error. I DID make sure I deglazed the IP properly (although not much was there because I did not brown/saute thoroughly). So, my tips would be to make sure to rinse the brown rice really well, saute the onions/veggies really well, deglaze the pot, and add some cayenne pepper for a kick if you want some spice! Basically, follow the recipe as written and cut the veggies in the size recommended. This is a very good recipe and I look forward to making it again soon. Thank you!

Hi Mike, I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Yes, the smaller the veggies are, the more they’ll disintegrate, so you can cut the veggies a little bigger next time if you want them to stay more intact.

I made this for my the boyfriend + me for our meal prepped lunches. It made about 5 servings. The rice is AMAZING. I couldn’t find the almond breeze coconut milk, so I used half a cup of canned coconut milk and half a cup of unsweetened original almond milk I had on hand already. Next time, I’ll use even more coconut milk to get more of that delicious flavor. My only issue was that my chicken was totally raw after 20 minutes. Granted, these were enormous chicken breasts and my instant pot is the duo mini (not 6 qt). I just threw it in a frying pan because the rice was perfect- no harm done. I did season the chicken with the spices used for the rice and I’d do that again. Gave the chicken really beautiful color. I will definitely make this again, just with a few changes next time. Thank you for sharing!!

It smelled incredible as I was preparing it and as it cooked. We were excited to try it. Very disappointed with the outcome . It was very bland. It has potential to be tasty but the the seasoning will need to be doubled, and searing the chicken will add some much needed flavor.

Hi Rebecca! I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t coming out for you! Unfortunately, I don’t have any further advice to offer beyond what’s listed in the troubleshooting section of the recipe (deglazing, adding more liquid, rinsing the rice). I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not have it work out, so I truly wish you would have enjoyed this.